but there is another storm on the horizon. i will talk more about that in just a few minutes. this current storm was one to knockout power in a few neighborhoods. let's send it out to our correspondent. what is going on? >> tony, about 700 and bge customers are without power tonight. it has been of very difficult week because of these wintry storms and high wind. it seems like mother nature is not cutting as any breaks. you seem to be bundled up their. >> of course. it is cold. >> mother nature proves to be relentless and delivers wicked weather throughout our area. >> mother nature is kicking my

butt. we did not have a winter last year. it is revenge time. >> here in maryland, folks are stocking up on bags of salt and struggling to deal with the winter remakes of snow, sleet, and rain that slowed traffic and caused flight delays before and after christmas. >> it is so windy today. >> and we may not be out of the woods just get. wind gusts up to 50 m.p.h. are expected throughout central maryland through the night. utilities are prepared for possible power outages which could pose a challenge for cruise. >> the maybe times when it is unsafe to use pocket -- there may be times when it is unsafe to use bucket trucks. but be sure that we will be out there. >> it is likely we will have one

more weather event to contend with this week. ava marie has been monitoring a system for saturday. >> this will allow colder air to spill into the state. that could bring the rain further south into maryland, maybe delaware as well. places that did not get the snow on the christmas holiday may very well see it on saturday. >> and maryland state highway officials tell us they are preparing for the possibility of a storm on saturday by preparing salt trucks. wbal tv-11 news. >> you can track the storms anywhere you are. try our new iphone and android apps. you can get the forecast any day at wbaltv.com. just click on weather. >> a man was murdered by his own

girlfriend, and detectives say she did not back to world. asia la'trice cutler is accused of killing donte harris. police say that shanda cure and another woman helped her carry it out and they are charged as accessories. cutler told police that she found her boyfriend shot in the head and found him bleeding in the alley. detectives say that she shot him in their bedroom. as the debate over gun control rages after the mass murders at sandy hook elementary school in connecticut, we have been looking at new information on gun sales year in maryland. barry simms as the latest numbers, and there is a noticeable increase? >> we have contacted maryland state police on the purchase of gun applications and it does appear that those numbers are on the rice. the bushmaster rifle that adam

lanza used in the newtown, connecticut killings was legally owned by his mother. he shot her four times in the head before going to sandy hook elementary school and killing 20 children and six female educators. calls for increased school safety, and at the same time, gun sales are on the increase. in november, there were more than 7200 gun purchase applications filed peeping >> we are projecting that we're looking at over 8200 barack applications being processed. >> more than 46,000 applications were processed. at the end of 2012, state police project 62,000 applications will be handled. state troopers will not speculate on why. some reasons are apparent -- the holiday season, some lawmakers proposing changes to gun laws.

>> i think when people see schoolchildren slaughtered, they get the message that something has to change. that is our hope. >> last year maryland had 398 murders. 272 were committed by people using firearms. 260 happened by way of handguns. 5 by shotguns, three by an unknown firearms. >> i call on congress today to act immediately to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every single school. >> that is the security stance of the national rifle association. armed police did not protect these schools students. >> many people can learn how to effectively and safely guard others with firearms. >> one lawmaker here in maryland will fight against that as he proposes a bill on concealed

weapons permit. >> for folks who have a concealed weapons permit, you cannot bring it into a place where there is going to be children. you cannot bring it into a library. he most certainly cannot bring it into law school. this madness must stop. >> and senator ferguson says this is a complex problem and will take a complex solution. reporting live from the newsroom, barry simms, wbal tv- 11 news. >> thank you. dozens of residents are looking for new place to sleep following a massive fire at an apartment complex in greenbelt. at least 100 firefighters were on hand. the fire broke out. firefighters tell us they had to rescue one of the residents trapped on a top floor balcony after hiding there for shelter. 21 of 30 units were occupied and

the damage is of course up to wondered $50,000. investigators say the fire was accidental. >> america may be going over the fiscal cliff. that prediction from the senate majority leader today after u.s. senators and president obama cut their vacation sure to return to washington. but there is no deal yet and there's a lot of criticism of house members who are still at home, at least until sunday night. jennifer jackson has the latest. >> the senate is back to work as the clock ticks and america gets closer to going over the fiscal cliff. president obama has also returned to washington. house members are still home for the holidays peeping >> i cannot imagine their consciences, wherever they are around the country. we are trying to get something done. >> harry reid is blaming house speaker john boehner for the stalemate and predicts new deal will happen before the end of the year. house republicans have rejected

any compromise where the wealthiest americans no longer get a tax cut. others are still optimistic. >> these deals come together at the last minute. to paraphrase ronald reagan, there has got to be a pony here someplace. >> i would urge the speaker of the house to call is back in session, to do what america expects us to do -- address the challenges, find solutions. >> americans have a lot to lose without a deal. taxes would jump an average of $2,400 for families making between $50,000 and $70,000 a year. the congressional budget office predicts the nation could lose jobs. house members will be coming back to washington on sunday to try to get a deal done by

midnight on monday. wbal tv-11ews. >> now that the ravens are officially champions of the afc north division, retailers are trying to cash in on the success. >> yes, there are a lot of things out there. we caught up with one screen printer in colombia. they came up with a pretty neat sure to celebrate the title. >> now that the reagans have locked up the afc north and are heading to the playoffs, more and more ravens -- now that the ravens have locked up the afc north and are heading to the playoffs, more and more ravens gear is popping up. >> we put some guys in there that are contributors. >> the only recently got the rights from the nfl players association to use ravens players and names on its shores. this one includes terrell subs, joe flacco, bray louis --

terrell subs, joe flacco, ray lewis. >> they really endeared themselves to the fans. >> as far as the design, he came up with it -- and the artist, a huge ravens band -- did the rest. >> whenever we do ravens merchandise, he always gives it that extra little oomph, because he knows a lot of people in town and he is a ravens fanatic. >> what is the public opinion of the shirt? what do you think about it? >> it looks ok to me. i think they are champions. don't you think? >> i will be picking mine up. and i will be wearing it. my body is a pittsburg fran. i like to wear it -- my buddy is a pittsburg san. i like to wear it around him all day. >> here, you can have it. >> looks pretty good. >> if you were wearing that

under your suit, right? >> exactly. he was so happy. you can get these with your usual ravens retailers. so, go out and get it. >> we will take a look. with most of the nation's eyes on the fiscal cliff, there's another economic bomb that could go up days from now. >> it is being called the waterfront cliff and it could have a major impact on east coast ports. held the authority is bracing for the worse, up next. >> winter arrives in maryland. state officials confirmed the first hyperthermia-related death this year. what you need to do to stay safe. >> maryland live will no longer have to close its doors.

beep-bop-boop-bop boop-beep. [monotone] she says, "switch to progressive and you could save hundreds." call or click today. >> it is a race against the clock with the port officials in baltimore. a looming dockworkers' strike could have an impact on ports. the dundalk terminal will stay open to keep the cargo supply chain moving.

the current longshoremen's union could mean all walked out for thousands of dockworkers and catastrophic effects for those who use them. it could have an economic a fact of as much as $1 million per day. >> in tonight's medical alert -- a major step forward battling breast cancer. they are now offering the 3d mammogram. it is the first va to offer this technology. it allows doctors to examine breast tissue one layer at a time, rendering deeper and more accurate readings. the fda has sent a warning letter to more than 350 doctors about a bad batch of zero talks -- of botox.

the fda says it cannot be sure it is safe and effective. it could also be counterfeit. it was not manufactured in the proper way. operators of more than 4000 websites were ordered to stop selling unapproved drugs to u.s. customers. a majority of those websites were operated by canada drugs. doctors should only get botox from licensed u.s. pharmacies. now to the topic of obesity. it is the time we all seem to gain a little bit more is the holidays at. it can increase your risk for cancer. it would seem that eating less would help, but it is more complicated than that. even if we were to be the same amount of calories, there is still inconclusive evidence that it would reduce cancer risk. so, what can we do? >> it is an interesting

question. is cancer really caused by adult weight gain, but the city? over a lifetime, avoiding the weight gain will absolutely translate into lower cancer risk. >> scientists are still working to find a solution. maryland officials are confirming the first hypothermia-related death of the winter. it happened sometime between december 18 and december 24. the victim is a man from frederick county, about 65 years or older. officials are warning people to protect themselves as we head into the coldest months. cover your head, where layers of clothing, and make sure that clothing is dried. those most at risk are the elderly, the very young, and anyone outside for long periods of time.

>> now your 11 insta-weather plus forecast with meteorologist tony pann. >> the winds were gusting over 45 miles per hour a few hours ago. they are starting to settle down now. that will continue through the overnight. we are 40 to downtown. that is producing wind chill in the 20's. if you are going to be going out in the next few minutes or hours, address for temperatures in the low 20's. only 37 at the airport. we did not break 40 today. we should crews back into the mid-20's by the time you wake up tomorrow morning. we expect tomorrow to be a much quieter day. here is the big storm that came through here. this is the big storm from new england. on the backside of it, the winds are whipping. the further it gets from us, the

calmer we will become. these clubs will be breaking up over the next couple of hours as well. as the winds diminish, that will be a good recipe to allow these clubs to drop into the 20's by tomorrow morning. our next storm is still a good distance away from us. we will get one day of dry weather before the weather comes in on saturday. we will probably get some snow out of it as we cruised through saturday. we are going to look at the gss model, for all you weather geeks. this is just getting started in the mississippi valley. we will take this into saturday afternoon. this computer model does produce some precipitation for us. the isobars are not packed together. this is a strong system. it will produce snow for us, but

it will be a lot weaker than the storm that came through yesterday. it is too early to say how much. we will start for testing that starting tomorrow morning. we will at least get a little snow out of that. by 7:00 in the morning, it will be breezy and called. it should be dry. the forecast goes like this -- a decrease in clouds and decreasing winds. the wins will eventually diminish out of the northwest to about 5 to 10 miles per hour. tomorrow, chilly, but quiet. the high temperature between 38 and 43. sunrise tomorrow at 7:26. it looks like the snow will start late friday night or early saturday morning and probably end in the evening on saturday. at least that is the way the timing looks right now. it will not be a blockbuster snow, but we will get some accumulation out of it. new year's eve into new year's

day, another system comes in. we will put a 30% chance for rain or snow shower. that does not look like a big deal either. it looks like we will stay in the 40's about -- 40's 42013. >> people may disagree, but i am snowed out. the people of newtown, connecticut have our request for people across the nation's. >> stop sending gifts. we will tell you why. >> and a headache for bge customers.

>> an emotional outpouring of support this week for the town of newtown, connecticut. so great and in fact that officials are asking people to stop sending gifts. they just have too many since the december 14 shooting at sandy hook elementary school. they have been the lucia with

gifts. -- they have been deluged with gives. the town is also developing a plan for some of the more heartfelt items like messages and letters that were attached to flowers and stuffed animals. >> officials have an idea for what to do with everything that has been left and since. here is nbc with more. >> the outpouring of love and support for the residents of newtown can be measured by the makeshift memorial is -- it is overflowing. they stopped to leave flowers on the way of -- on the way to visiting family in massachusetts. >> we wanted to pay tribute to the teachers who lost their lives in this dreary tragic event. >> he lives in manhattan, but he has called the sidewalks of sandy hook home for the last few days, working late into the

night, keeping the area organized and clean. he says he understands the importance of keeping the memorials clean and well collected, as he himself lost a loved one on 9/11. >> now the town is trying to decide what to do with everything left behind at the memorial's. >> the plan is to take everything and turn everything biodegradable into the soil. anything and non biotech degradable will be turned into cement blocks. -- anything non-biodegradable will be turned into cement blocks. >> this will be sacred soil, containing visions for a better future and promises to remember forever those lost in this sad attack. it brings them joy to know the kindness of people faraway will live on. >> we should never forget what happened. we should never forget.

>> turning it into soil. what a great idea? >> yes. >> the memorials will stand until the rest of the year. >> we have fierce snow and wind continuing to pound parts of the northeast. ahead, its impact on travel up and down the coast. >> maryland live! now open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. there was a waiting line to get in. detail

>> you are watching wbal-tv 11 news. live, local, late breaking. this is 11 news at 5:00 p.m. with stan stovall and donna hamilton, your insta-weather plus forecast with chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer and skycam 11, covering breaking news where you live. wbal-tv 11 news at 5:00 p.m. continues now. >> right now at 5:30, known more last calls at maryland live! casino. starting today, the casino is a 24 hour, seven-day operation. >> i think they through the key away. >> probably. >> it closed at 4:00 a.m. on friday and saturday. as jennifer franciotti tells us, the change comes right before a crucial time in the entertainment industry. >> maryland live! opened its

doors at 8:00 this morning and there was a waiting line to get in. this was all but as for the new 24 hour operation. until today, at it had limited hours, but not any more. and adult beverages year are now sold around the clock. >> it is entertainment all day long, all night long, all year long. we are pretty excited about that. >> i think it is great. it will bring more revenue into the state. win-win. >> i think it is great. it makes it more like vegas. >> it is important time for the entertainment industry -- new year's eve. maryland live! is expecting to do well on its own, and drug traffic from nearby bars and restaurants that closed earlier -- and draw traffic from nearby bars and restaurants that closed

earlier. >> we're in the process of firing on the dealers and personnel for the table games. dealer school, which is free, starts next week beginning in january. >> applications for a 150-table game expansion with the spring deadline. that expansion will start next week with a blackjack tables. jennifer franciotti, wbal tv-11 news. >> here is a look at some of our other top stories this hour. following the mass shooting at sandy hook elementary school, there has been an increase in gun sales. we found that more than 7200 gun purchase applications were filed in november according to maryland state police. by the end of this year, state police project another 62,000 will be handled. they will not speculate on why

there has been such an increase, but some lawmakers are pushing to change gun laws. investigators are looking for your help looking for this man. he allegedly stole someone's credit card and use that card at a royal crown store. these are images from that store from out surveillance camera. anyone with information is asked to call crime stoppers. officials are offering up to $2,000 in a crash -- cash reward. snow, sleet, and then the high winds moved in. bge has been working to restore weather-related outages as quickly and safely as possible and urges customers to call its outages line at -- bge officials say it is important to have a plan in place in case of an outage like building an emergency kit that

includes non-perishable food, supplies, and blankets. >> the winter storms are bearing down on the northeast today. this deadly system is blamed for nine deaths and has caused travel disruptions around the country. >> from parts of new york to maine, heavy snowfall and treacherous travel conditions. >> it has been brutal. >> some areas got up to 2 feet before the system moved on. along with snow, the system could bring drenching rain and possible flooding to coastal new jersey and parts of massachusetts, areas that are still recovering from hurricane sandy. >> it has become too much. >> thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed this week. in philadelphia, average weights were several hours, testing patients. >> it was delay, delay, missing

connected flight. >> at dulles international, where 1000 people overnighted tuesday because of the weather, there were more delays because flights originating in the northeast. >> yes, we took quite a while trying to get the car on stock. -- the car unstuck. >> blasting in from the midwest, the storm has left thousands of people in arkansas without power. now this hearty dose of winter weather will continue as another system arrives in the pacific northwest, bringing with it more snow. wbal tv-11 news. >> and all that heavy snow that is bringing a new round of headaches for airports coast-to- coast, it is part of the same system. >> up next, while the video

emerging that illustrates the sheer strength of the heavy winds and rain. >> a local principal just got back from a service trip to the dominican republic. i have her story, coming up.

>> fema officials tell 11 years they are continuing to process requests for aid tonight as they were to help hurricane sandy beckham in somerset county. so far, the agency has sent $1 million to the area, but officials urged residents to use care in spending funds. >> covering the nation tonight, amazing video from a walgreen's in mobile, alabama. surveillance cameras caught a christmas day tornado in action. this had winds up to 135 miles per hour.

the tornado was 6 miles long and 200 yards wide when it slammed into power lines, transformers, and move cars around in the parking lot. things are back to normal, except the doors are boarded up. no one was hurt. a major drop in the number of officers killed over the past year, but in maryland we still have the highest numbers nationwide. the officers memorial fund across the country -- 127 state, local, and federal officers have died on the job this year, the lowest number since 2009 and the only time since 1960 that the number dipped below 130. texas is the highest with 10 fatalities. >> more concerns regarding the help of former president george h. w. bush. a spokesperson for his office says he is being treated in

intensive care unit in houston hospital. he was a admitted after a series of setbacks. he is in "guarded" condition. doctors were initially treating him for bronchitis and a lingering cough. finally the head of the environmental protection agency lease a jackson will be stepping down in a few -- lee said jackson will be stepping down in a few weeks. she plans to leave her post after president obama makes his state of the union speech next month. she says that she is confident that the ship is sailing in the right direction. she says she is ready for new challenges and new opportunities to make a difference. in the meantime, there is a statement on her announcement. william baker says that jackson has been a strong force for ending pollution in the

chesapeake bay, developing the clean water blueprint, which could put an end to the polluted water by 2025. >> we have big news for shoppers in howard county. >> yes. and major retailer is setting up at columbia crossings. ahead in the consumer alert, the clothing giant that is moving in. you can get some ties. >> how do you feel about the reagan season so far? joe flacco talks about that straight ahead. >> and the seven-day forecast. let's take a look outside. partly cloudy skies. 37 at the airport. the weather

>> coming up at 6:00, an update to an i-team destination on gun ownership. barry simms has the latest. plus, lawmakers have yet to reach an agreement to avoid the

>> it has become a baltimore tradition in late december, hasn't it? >> it sure has. >> the long playoff run with the ravens. >> they must finish up on the road against a longtime rival and potential opponent in the playoffs. >> hey, guys. it was a weird week for the

ravens. what matters is getting ready for the post-season, staying healthy, and maintaining momentum, things that do not coincide. to work out today for sunday's game against the cincinnati bengals. ray lewis is taking of. re rice said that lewis could have played last week. joe flacco would love to keep it looking after the giants' game. great success there. but maybeore rest would make sense. you do not want joe out there with backups. >> we have been through a lot. we have looked a lot of things right down the barrel and dealt with them ahead on. so, yes, i think there is a lot of pride in what we can take and what we have accomplished throughout the year. still being able to come out, you know, maybe not quite as well as we wanted to come up but

still pretty darn good. we fought our way through a lot of stuff. >> coming of new at 6:00, the cincinnati plans to approach the game. a hint -- tv 11 sports. >> now your 11 insta-weather plus forecast with meteorologist tony pann. >> it was windy, but dry today. we have some snow in the forecast. we will talk about that in just a second. let's look back at the numbers from this afternoon. the high temperature was not from this afternoon. it was from midnight. 44 was the high, and then coasted back into the 30's with wind chills in the 20's. the record is 65, set back in 1949. kind of windy out there, but certainly not as bad as earlier. we picked up a dust at the airport of 21, 22 mile an hour gusts downtown.

the wind will settle down even further. tomorrow morning, it most likely will be calm. the wind chills are running in the 20's. that is what you want to dress for if you go out this evening, not these actual temperatures. 35 at the rising sun. by the time you wake up tomorrow, the temperatures will have crews back into the mid- 20's. it will be cold nevertheless. snow in the northeast part of the country right now. the wind is whipping behind this door. the further it gets away come not be quieter the winds will get over -- to further its away, the quieter the wins will get overnight tonight. it will be mostly clear by the time the head into tomorrow morning. here is the next storm that will visit us over the weekend, going across the southern plains. it will be a much weaker storm.

do not look for a blockbuster situation here. we will probably get some snow out of this. we are going to look at one of the models your. this is the gfs, for all you weather geeks. will take that time frame into setting up. you see that the pressure over the atlantic. this is not a deep area of low pressure. it will not produce the kind of precipitation that you would think up with a big nor'easter or anything like that. it will get stronger as it pulls away from us. still too early to say how much snow we are going to get out of this, but it is not going to be a huge storm. i am pretty confident about that. cold, temperatures drop back into the mid-20's. during the day tomorrow, partly to mostly sunny. there will be cloud ahead of the

next storm. sunrise 7:26. saturday, snow is likely. it is not going to be a heavy snow. we will get accumulation out of a. we will start to try to guest tomorrow morning. 30% chance for rain or snow, but that does not look like a big deal either. >> we begin tonight consumer alert with some very exciting news for shoppers in colombia. and nordstrom rack is opening as early as next spring. kate is happy. the retail division of nordstrom will be setting up at columbia crossing, located just off the columbia at exit at i-95. if you are not familiar with that, it comes straight from nordstrom stores and is usually

50% to 60% off normal price is. it will be joining tenants like old navy and target. if you do shop at nordstrom rack, what does that say about you? it turns out where you shop can be sending messages to companies to charge you more. but it is all happening on-line, not the big box store. the more you look at an item online, the more likely the price will go up. is called dynamic pricing, essentially pricing things different for different people at different times for the same product and it is all happening because your computer activity is tracked by software that looks at where you have shot and what you bought. >> -- where you have shopped and what you have bought. >> how is it that these companies know. when i finally make my decision, boom, it is more expensive >> that is because you leave a

trail. you may think you are anonymous, but you are not. your name may be private, but your computer it is not. >> i am not sure i like this. your best bet -- use multiple computers and multiple accounts. that way your behavior will not be revealed if you want to remain anonymous. ford motor company says it will spend more than $773 million to expand manufacturing facilities in america and that means it is adding nearly 2500 new jobs. the car maker says the expansion as part of a plan to add 12,000 new positions by 2015. nearly all the improvements and new jobs will occur at four facilities in southeast michigan. ford says -- at four facilities in southeast michigan. ford says this will address growth plans for the next few years. the company currently has about 172,000 employees and 62 plants

worldwide. meantime, toyota expects to sell nearly 10 million vehicles this year, bouncing back from a disaster-struck 2011. the numbers released this week underlined toyota's motor corp. 's solid turnaround from the destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami in japan in 2011 that hurt sales and underlined the japanese automaker's ambitions. toyota recently reached a settlement of more than $1 billion to resolve hundreds of lawsuits from toyota owners who said the value of their cars and trucks plunged after the recalls. and finally, four major retailers agreed to recall baby recliners linked to infant deaths. amazon.com, bye-bye baby, toys r us are recalled nap nannies

generation 1 and 2 and the chill model infant recliners. they are linked to at least five infant deaths. the manufacturer has gone out of business. the retailers agreed to refund of the -- to refund the item purchased from the website. >> people in thailand are celebrating the new year with a show of lights. check out the seventh annual lantern festival. this year's theme was colors of the south. that meant there were lights from chinese, japanese, and european cultures lighting up the sky. thousands are expected to visit that displayed. >> the one item that remains on washington's christmas list. roping off the fiscal cliff.

president obama and congress return, but they will need support from house republicans to pass the deal. is congress any closer to a compromise? >> a small village in the dominican republic has a new school thanks in part to local administrator. i have details, next.

>> of baltimore school administrator is making a difference around the globe. >> this is great.

she volunteered for a week in dominican republic and helped build a new school their. >> claire donehower is the assistant principal at the kennedy krieger school in baltimore. she took on another role as a volunteer in a mission to the dominican republic. >> i think it was a unique chance to take my love of working with kids and bring it into a completely different area. >> she was one of 40 volunteers chosen to complete the elementary school in a small village. they did everything from building walls with cinderblocks to painting to stuccoing. but her favorite part was interacting with the community. >> it was such a powerful experience and different than i expected. i wanted to save everyone from the poverty that they live in, and really, there is so much in that community that is rich and

generous. if people have anything at all, they want to share with you. >> the trip was part of the life touch memory mission. since lifetouch is a photography company, they took the school's first pictures. >> it is so powerful. they did not know what they look like. they had to have their friends tell them that the picture was them. >> she says this will ultimately make her a better administrator to the students at kennedy krieger school. >> one of the things i realize is you are a much more powerful support to people if you come alongside them and help them achieve the goals they set for themselves, rather than saying this is the goal that we have for your community. >> for more pictures of this trip, you can visit our website -- wbaltv.com.

in east baltimore, wbal tv-11 news. >> that is all for me. you have a half-hour to go. >> it has been a pleasure. here is what is coming up new at 6:00. >> more reaction following the mass shootings in newtown, connecticut. lawmakers in maryland proposing tougher gun laws. >> plus, hundreds upper bge -- hundreds opera bge customers without power tonight's. we will tell you why. >> i have the latest on efforts to reverse the fiscal cliff. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> you are watching wbal-tv 11 news. live, local, late breaking. this is 11 news at 6:00 p.m. >> our big story at 6:00, and 11 news update to an i-team investigation on assault weapons. the debate on gun control was reignited after the mass murders at sandy